Augustine of Hippo : For we may be sure that the very aim of those who pass over [from Israelite to Christian] is transformed from the old to the new, so that the aim of each is no longer the attainment of material felicity but spiritual happiness. That explains the action of the great prophet Samuel himself, before he had anointed King Saul.Samuel cried out to the Lord on behalf of Israel, and God heard him; and when he offered a whole burnt offering, and the foreigners approached to do battle with the people of God, the Lord thundered over them, and they were thrown into confusion and panic as they faced Israel, and so they were overcome. Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between the old and the new Mizpah and gave it the name Ebenezer, which means "the stone of the helper." And he said, "So far the Lord has helped us." Now Mizpah means "aim." That "stone of the helper" is the mediation of the Savior, through whom we must pass over from the old Mizpah to the new, that is, from the aim which looked for material bliss—a false bliss, in a material kingdom—to the aim which looks for spiritual bliss, the really true bliss, in the kingdom of heaven. And since there is nothing better than this, God helps us "so far." — City of God 17.7 Bede : And Samuel took a stone, etc. And indeed we read above of the stone of help, which in Hebrew is called Ebenezer; but there the historian anticipated, whereas here he expresses both the time and the cause of the name being given; which, as a clear type of the Mediator, is rightly called one stone, because there is one Lord Jesus Christ, who justifies the circumcision by faith and the uncircumcision through faith; rightly placed between Masphat and Shen, that is, between the place where the altar of the Lord's cross was erected and the singular lamb was offered who takes away the sins of the world, and between it and the place where the victory of the Lord's word could spread throughout the world. That place, most beautifully lying above Bethcar, that is, the house of the lamb or of recognition, because the same Church of Christ shines throughout the entire world. Nor is it by chance that the same place Shen, that is, is said to be named, because the people of the Gentiles, who cry out to the Lord from the ends of the earth, and with Israel they hear: Rejoice, because your names are written in heaven (Luke 10). Of which it is also said elsewhere: And he calls his own sheep by name (John 10). Therefore the Lord took the precious stone, the chosen cornerstone, that is, himself; and set it between the people of the Jews and the Gentiles, who by the powerful help of his Spirit would gather both into one, and miraculously rescued from all adversities, would raise them up to the contemplation of the glory of his divine majesty; to the vision of which, than which nothing is better (for indeed, whatever we who have merited to behold it, seek nothing greater), because we will rejoice in the greatest good, it is said very well: Because the Lord has helped us thus far. Whence also in the Gospel, the Lord, as if promising the highest and incomparable good to the faithful people, says: He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and reveal myself to him (John 14). — Commentary on Samuel Gregory the Dialogist : 22. In sacred Scripture, a stone signifies our Lord and Redeemer. A single stone is taken up by Samuel when the strength of the Redeemer is uniquely proclaimed by the preacher of Holy Church. This stone is indeed set up between Mizpah and Sen, because at the departure of life it protects the elect and crushes the reprobate. For Sen means "shaking off." The reprobate have been shaken off, that is, separated from the fellowship of the faithful. Therefore, while the Philistines are said to have been struck down all the way to the place below Beth-car, the stone is declared to have been set up between Sen and Mizpah: because when God's elect receive the trophy of their victory at the end, they are separated from the company of the wicked by the judgment of the Redeemer. But now, like wheat and chaff together on the threshing floor, we are mixed together; yet when we are brought to the end of life, the elect are divided from the reprobate by the Lord's power, and they have, as it were, a stone placed between them, since the reprobate bear the weight of the Redeemer in the judgment of their condemnation, while the elect hold the palms of eternal glory in his strength. By Sen, evil spirits can also be designated. For they have been shaken off, because they were cast out from the heavenly sanctuary through pride. And because they now wage war against us in this life, fittingly when the time of our victory is declared, the stone is said to be placed between us and them: because when we receive the rewards of our warfare, their battles are never again renewed against us. Moreover, Samuel places this stone in their midst, because the teacher of Holy Church shows us the goodness of our Redeemer. And because everything that is accomplished prosperously by us in all our life is ascribed to divine grace, the stone that is set in the midst is fittingly called by him the Stone of Help. For he himself is the Stone of Help; if he were unwilling to come to our aid, we could be conquered but could never conquer. Of this stone, now placed in their midst, it is said: "Thus far the Lord has helped us," because his protection follows his elect even to the time of eternal recompense. And because, as we have said, once we have been received into eternal rest, no battles are stirred up by our vanquished enemies... — Commentary on 1 Kings, Book 3, Chapter 5 Jerome : "That stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone." That is the stone that is called Ebenezer in the book of Kings [Samuel]. That stone is Christ. The name Ebenezer, moreover, means "the stone of help." — HOMILIES ON THE Psalms 46 (Psalms 133)